Formed in 1974 out of the dissolution of the San Diego Opera Guild (1950-1974) and San Diego Opera, Inc. (1966-74), the San
Diego Opera Association (SDOA) assumed the responsibilities of both organizations. It is responsible for promoting greater
public interest and support of opera, and for supporting the production and presentation of opera in San Diego.

In 1974 the SDOA introduced public memberships, which helped the company to expand, and gave members the privilege of belonging
to regional opera guilds around San Diego, based on their place of residence. Governed by the Council of Guilds, these regional
guilds enabled the SDOA to continue its community education and outreach work, and to build a fundraising network to support
opera in San Diego.

In 1976, with the passing of founding Director Walter Herbert, the SDOA hired General Director Tito Capobianco, formerly of
the New York City Opera. Working with Capobianco, the SDOA during this period worked to develop numerous educational and
outreach programs, and organized special events which frequently complemented opera productions and series, such as the Verdi
Festival and Fanfare. In 1983, the SDOA hired Ian Campbell as General Director, and continues its outreach, education, and
support work with Campbell, including the Operation: Opera program, which brings Opera to 100,000 children in San Diego County
and Northern Mexico.

Administrative Information

Custodial History:

The San Diego Opera Association Collection was originally donated to the San Diego History Center from 1984 to 2008. In 2008
it was transferred by the San Diego History Center to San Diego State University Library and Information Access.

Accruals:

2008-029

Conditions Governing Use:

The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Conditions Governing Access:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation:

Identification of item, folder title, box number, San Diego Opera Association Records, Special Collections and University
Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.

Related Materials:

San Diego Opera Guild Records (MS-0476)

San Diego Opera Office Records (MS-0477)

Arrangement of Materials:

I. Operational Files, 1972-2005

1.) Event and Program Files, 1975-2005

2.) Minutes, 1975-2000

3.) Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association, 1972-2001

4.) Membership Rosters, 1972-1985

II. Programs and Publications, 1972-2008

1.) Published Programs, 1972-2008

2.) Other Publications, 1973-2002

III. Photographs, 1965-1993

1.) Events and Programs, 1965-1993

2.) Metropolitan Opera Auditions, 1974-1990

IV. Scrapbooks, 1972-2006

V. Posters and Artifacts, n.d.

Scope and Contents

The
San Diego Opera Association Records (1965-2008) documents the outreach, fundraising, growth and development of the San Diego Opera Association (SDOA), including
the SDOA's outreach activities, fundraising, education, and work done in support of the San Diego Opera. It includes budgets,
bylaws, correspondence, minutes, committee files, programs, photographs, and scrapbooks. The collection consists of five
major series:
Operational Files (1972-2005),
Programs and Publications (1972-2008),
Photographs (1965-1993), Scrapbooks (1972-2006), and
Posters and Artifacts (n.d.). The
Operational Files have four sub-series:
Event and Program Files (1975-2005),
Minutes (1975-2000),
Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001), and
Membership Rosters (1972-1985). The
Programs and Publications series contains two sub-series:
Published Programs (1972-2008) and
Other Publications (1973-2002). The
Photographs are divided in two sub-series:
Events and Programs (1965-1993), and
Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990).

The
Operational Files (1972-2005) include four subseries:
Event and Program Files (1975-2005),
Minutes (1975-2000),
Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001), and
Membership Rosters (1972-1985). These files document the Association's special programming, outreach activities, and education work, as well
as their administrative activities, and the work of various guilds of the SDOA. The
Event and Program Files (1975-2005) document fundraising, finances, community outreach programs, special auditions, and other programming. It consists
of budgets, bylaws, Ian Campbell's correspondence, committee files, and other materials. It is filed alphabetically. The
Minutes (1975-2000) document the SDOA's formation, as well as myriad other topics, including fundraising, membership, ticket sales,
facilities, and budgets. The Board of Directors and Executive Committee minutes include president's reports and committee
reports. The series is filed chronologically. The
Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001) series documents the activities of various branch SDOA guilds including the La Jolla, North Coast, Park West,
Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo, and Rancho Santa Fe guilds. It includes files on events, the Council of Guilds, fundraising,
supplementary programming, community support, financial matters, meeting minutes, agendas, and correspondence, and is filed
alphabetically. The
Membership Rosters (1972-1985), document SDOA's membership and committee service. Created annually, each roster is a booklet which contains
information on SDOA officers, the board of directors, various committees, the SDO's season for that year, and an alphabetical
listing of all SDOA members. Rosters are filed chronologically.

The
Programs and Publications (1972-2008) document productions staged at numerous west coast opera companies, and opera in the US in general. It consists
of two subseries:
Published Programs (1972-2008) and
Other Publications (1973-2002). The
Published Programs (1972-2008) document productions staged at numerous west coast opera companies, and usually include general background information
about individual shows, photos of the production, a cast list, biographies of actors and production staff, the name of the
production's theater, background information about the show, and advertisements. Programs are filed chronologically. The
Other Publications (1973-2002) consists primarily of major trade publications, including
Opera Briefs,
Opera Scene, and
Opera People. Publications are filed chronologically.

The
Photographs (1965-1993) includes two subseries:
Events and Programs (1965-1993) and
Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990). It documents some of the special events and programming organized by SDOA, and the Met Auditions held in San
Diego. The
Events and Programs (1965-1993) documents some of the special events and supplementary programming organized by SDOA over the years in support
of San Diego Opera productions. They are filed alphabetically by event or program name. The
Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990) primarily consist of headshots submitted by performers participating in the Met Auditions held in San Diego.
They are filed chronologically by audition year.

The
Scrapbooks (1972-2006) consist of numerous scrapbooks documenting San Diego Opera history, activities, programs, and events, as well
as the activities and programs undertaken at various local opera guilds around San Diego. They include clippings, programs,
event invitations, reviews, membership posters, brochures, pamphlets, and other materials.

The
Posters and Artifacts (n.d.) consists of production posters documenting performance dates, venue, and individual production graphic design, as
well as some assorted artifacts used at SDOA events and programs over the years.